Completed Series: The Threat From the Sea Trilogy by Mel Odom

The Threat From the Sea Trilogy by Mel Odom is one of those rare fantasy series focused on sea adventure, whether that is at port, on ships, or underwater. I read all three of these novels in December 2022. It is a rather large Realms event taking place from 1369 to 1370 DR, and spanning from off the Sword Coast to the Sea of Fallen Stars. There is an accompanying anthology, Realms from the Deep, which goes along with the events of the novels. I will be reviewing it at a later date.

Rising Tide (1999) - Good

UnderFallen Stars (1999) - Good

The Sea Devil's Eye (2000) - Acceptable

Rising Tide starts in 1354 and introduces Laaqueel. She is really one of the two main characters, though maybe slightly less of one than the other. Laaqueel is a sahuagin but is the malenti version of that race. She has a surface persons skin tone rather than green or blue and otherwise looks like a sea elf with a few very small distinguishing attributes. We will learn later in book three that malenti are only born where sahugain have settled near sea elves; they are often used as spies among them. Laaqueel  is a priestess of Sekolah, the shark god and chief deity of the sahugain. Even though she looks more relatable we are quickly reminded of her somewhat monstrous nature.

A heretical tale took Laaqueel from Baldur’s Gate and apparently leads in the end to this sea bordering Chult. This heresy is about one called “one who swims with Sekolah” and kicks off the events that will come to fruition with the trilogy.

The rest of the story takes place in 1369, starting on 9 Mirtul. It involves in ancient power known as Iakhovas. We know he is not a god, but we’re not really privy to what he is exactly, until much later in the series.

Beyond Laaqueel, Jherek is our main character. He is nineteen year old sailor, a deckhand, I believe in Amn at the start. He is from Vellen in Tethyr and has some secret the goody, worshipper of Ilmater, thinks is terrible. Jherek is rather silly, as his secret is not bad at all, but it holds this otherwise mary sue character back.Jherek has almost Christian morals, just so you can get an understanding. Plus he doesn’t drink. He is pretty good at controlling himself, though temptations on this line are a big plot point. 

Another character is Pacys, a bard of Oghma. He is aged and had his share of adventures. Another character is Sabyna, she is mage on a ship similar to Robillard's position on the Sea Sprite.

This novel is very much a prologue, and ends with a good conclusion. You really need to continue to get to a satisfying place. I think having someone that could be a mary sue as the good guy, with Pacys in the middle to experience and sing about things, and Laaqueel who is the bad guy but never comes off as truly evil (though she is partner to plenty of death dealing, it’s simply what I expect from a sahuagin. It’s not like she’s an evil sorceress) saves the book from being bland.

Sahuagin culture is interesting, the fear of fireand magic is dominant. We also get to see places like Velen and Athkatla, and the more common Waterdeep. Plus there is much sea action, so those who want a good sea adventure, regardless if you’ve read Forgotten Realms before, maybe try this shorter novel. Something like the god Sekolah was new even to me. 

Watch/listen to my review of Rising Tide on YouTube here.

the omnibus has this

Raymond Swanland cover

Under Fallen Stars takes place largely in Seros another name for the Sea of Fallen Stars. The name of the book gives that one away, its my favorite title of the series. The story starts with a triton facing a morkoth that has killed his companions in the name of the Taker, Iakhovas. The tritons had been sent to spy and were discovered. The Tritons guard against an evil in the Inner Sea, and know that Iakhovas‘s lost and magical eye is in lost Myth Nantor.

This is a section of hot progression. Famous cities are burned and we know the war is about to get even more heated.

We do get sea elves in this book, which is a nice addition. Their king in the Sea of Fallen Stars wants to look for the Taleweaver, a bard who is prophesied to sing of the conflict with Iakhovas and the seeming champion of Jherek.

We also have a dwarf character, Khlinat, in this book as well as a paladin, Glawinn, from Corymr, and the famous Elfsong Tavern makes an appearance. 

Watch/listen to my review here.

The Sea Devil's Eye starts right where book two ends, and there is little I can say without spoiling the previous books. I was a little disappointed with Sabyna's arc, and most definitely with Laaqueel's, who is my favorite character. Her nature is odd, and it makes sense, but was not super satisfying. Most of the series the good and bad guys do not actually come into contact and that changes here. The concept of fate is explored and even relations between merfolk with sea elves gets explored. Fans of Lathander and Eldath may take note though, their faiths are present.

Watch/listen to my review here.

Issue 255 of Dragon has images of the characters in the Rogues Gallery.

The greatest benefit of these novels are their change of pace from other novels. Sea fantasy is oddly rare enough, and getting a plethora of species at war dominantly underwater is very fun. Sadly it the main character is a bit of a mary sue, though Odom's talent makes up for that some. Overall, it is a Good series potentially worth your time. Hopefully I have helped you decide on whether it is for
you or not.

The cover art for the trilogy and accompanying anthology is one piece done by Don Maitz.

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Review: Honest and True by Troy Denning

Honest and True is a short story found in Dragon Magazine 245 from March 1998. It is a tie-in to Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, also by Denning and released the month prior as the fifth and final volume in the Avatar Saga. The story follows Malik el Sami, Chosen of Cyric, as he still tries to do his god’s bidding shortly after the events of the novel. 

The story can be found from pages 57-64, with story artwork by Matt Wilson on page 56. 

The story is in first person like the novel, but we learn that Malik still has the truth spell put in him by Mystra. This leads to a great narration that is inaccurate to many but true to Malik’s view of the world. Such as calling the Harper’s “a band of meddling fools” and Deneir “the Prattler”. Like in The Sentinel, Malik is the Seraph of Lies, a special servant of Cyric’s.

He is in Waterdeep attempting to get his story published, which is of course proving difficult. This is exasperated when the Harper Ruha, the Bedine Witch, shows up. 

This story is very gripping and the perfect length. I enjoyed being back in a story from Malik’s point-of-view, and it makes an Exceptional short story for fans of book five.

I believe there is at least one more tie-in story to the Avatar Saga in Realms of Valor. 

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Completed Series: The Avatar Saga

The Avatar Saga (or Series) is five novels and written by three different authors. It was originally a trilogy published under the nom de plume of Richard Awlinson, but was later expanded upon. The original trilogy deals with the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, and the next two finish out the cosmological changes over the next decade. For those unaware, the Time of Troubles deals with the gods being cast down to Faerun as mortals by the Overgod, Ao. This is key to the plot of the books.

I read Shadowdale in December of 2021, and did a standalone review of that, which can be read here. I finished the series in May of 2022. I have the original versions of each book, but they were later reprinted to match.

Shadowdale by Scott Ciencin (1989) - Mediocre

Tantras by Scott Ciencin (1989) - Acceptable

Waterdeep by Troy Denning (1989) - Good

Prince of Lies by James Lowder (1993) - Exceptional

Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad by Troy Denning (1998) - Exceptional

This review will have some larger Realms spoilers for the last two books, since they deal with decades old cosmological changes. Anyone familiar with 2e-5e Forgotten Realms will not be surprised by the status of certain gods. I will avoid these for the first three.

I ended up really enjoying this series. It is a little cheesy at times, and I knew some of the end going in, but each book was better than the last, which really impressed me.

Shadowdale starts with the events that would bring the Forgotten Realms from first edition to second edition. The Tablets of Fate have been stolen, and since no one steps forth as guilty, Lord Ao casts all gods down to Toril. They must walk in mortal avatar form, and are therefore vulnerable to die, permanently. The only god left with his divinity is Helm, who guards the way to the planes.

reprint cover

With the deities casting out, we first see Mystra, goddess of magic, try to access the Weave--from which all magic of the Art comes--and she fails. Then Bane, god of hate, terror, and tyrannical oppression, lands in Zhentil Keep and takes an avatar as he sets about his malevolent plan to reacquire the Tablets of Fate. We learn that it was him and Myrkul, God of Death who hid them in the first place.

Near the city of Arabel in Cormyr, the mage Midnight awakens to find things not as she left them, most notably she has a strange amulet around her neck. Her and three other heroes find themselves in the midst of the power struggle of the deities and their minions. 

One of the others is Kelemvor, a noble-born sellsword warrior also in Arabel during the events of the Arrival. He is a little moody and not much of a people person, but still honorable and pretty average in his temperament besides his glaring misogyny, which is kinda out of place in the Forgotten Realms. He is acquainted with Cyric as they recently went after the artifact The Ring of Winter. He is approached by a starving waif on the streets who seems to have a quest in a mind for him. 

Cyric is a thief turned mercenary. Honestly my favorite character, which is funny if you know what becomes of him. One thing I found really interesting was that Cyric was born in Zhentil Keep but was adopted by wealthy Sembians and lived there until he was a teenager.

Then we have Adon, a Cleric of Sune Firehair, goddess of Beauty. He is familiar with Cyric and Kelemvor as he was also used by Lady Lord Myrmeen Lhal, ruler of Arabel to bring down a conspiracy recently. Adon is certainly vain and a little arrogant and foolish.

We learn that the only magic that works in divine magic of clerics that are within a mile of their deity's avatar. Arcane magic is dangerous and inconsistent. We also get quite a number of vague descriptions of the gods and goddesses of the Realms. Those unfamiliar with the pantheon may be a bit lost.

There is a bit of romance sprinkled into this travel log. The group's goal is to go from Arabel to Shadowdale to meet with Elminster, the chosen of Mystra. Things escalate along the way and things become quite serious. 

This story is a little slow paced, but the overall descriptions and style of Ciencin makes for great imagery. This book does end on quite an unexpected cliffhanger.

Tantras starts where book one ended. As the title tells us, this adventure leads the heroes to Tantras in The Vast. The city has become the holy seat of Torm, and no longer experiences a day/night cycle, for it is eternally bright. This story still has Bane as the main villain, but Cyric's and Kelemvor's paths start to diverge from their route in the first book, and head in directions that Realms fans may be more familiar with. Adon's arc is also very interesting, as it deals with the matter of faith. Midnight is the least interesting here, and it seemed as if Ciencin might have had a hard time writing a woman character.

There is great action here, including an explosive confrontation between two avatars. There is also a trial for two people falsely accused of murder. Some like that, and others do not. I thought it was well done. 

Waterdeep explodes where book two ended. This one takes our heroes from the Heartlands to the Sword Coast, to the City of Splendors, Waterdeep. This is the first novel in the series written by Troy Denning, which was. It also pushed the gods Bhaal, god of murder, and Myrkul into the forefront. These two, along with Bane, make up the trifecta known today as the Dead Three. 

This one really feels like the climax, and it originally was. We experience dead fortresses, undead, great and fell magic from Cormyr to Waterdeep. The cosmology shifts even more here, as dead gods are replaced with new ones. The character arcs are even better, as Denning handle's Midnight's character better. It was quite a ride and I look back on the experience of reading these exploits in the Time of Troubles fondly. 

Prince of Lies gets us into some cosmological spoilers. This story is set around Zhentil Keep and the writing of Cyric's holy text, the Cyrinishad. He has taken on the portfolios of murder, death, and strife with the demise of the Dead Three. We have Mystra (Midnight)  vying to stop Cyric from magically gaining worshippers. We also have characters, such as Fzoul Chembryl, who misses Bane. And the scribe Rinda is charged with writing the Cyrinishad. We also have the more tragic person of Gwydion, who becomes more important in the last book. As a fan of the Realms, I knew Kelemvor was not in his position of God of the Dead by the end of Waterdeep, this rectifies that.

Yet again this novel proved to be even better than the last. This was the first time I had read anything by Lowder, but I look forward to more of his Realms works.

Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad deals with Mystra and Kelemvor seeking to once again prevent Cyric from finding the Cyrinishad. Adon's role as a priest is one very different from his earlier days in Shadowdale. What makes this story all the better is the point of view it is told to us. This story is from the intra-diegetic narrator of the Calimshite Malik el Sami, a worshipper of Cyric some readers may recognize from The Sentinel. This means everything is unreliable to a degree, though not inaccurate as far as the events go. Some do not like this narration, but I enjoyed it tremendously.

We also have the character Ruha from Denning's novels The Parched Sea and The Veiled Dragon. I have not read them yet, but fans of those may enjoy this sequel of sorts. It also explores even more places, like Candlekeep.

Overall we get quite a tour of the Realms, from Arabel, to Shadowdale, to Scardale, to The Vast, to High Horn, to Dragonspear, to Waterdeep, to Zhentil Keep, to Candlekeep. The vast array of characters is handled quite well by three authors and proves entertaining from the fist to last, making this an Exceptional reading experience.

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Comic Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms by Ed Greenwood

 Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms is a series of comics with five issues written by Ed Greenwood. The story is described as political intrigue in the city of Waterdeep. The series was released from May to November 2012 by IDW Publishing, with the interior art being done by Lee Ferguson, while there are two cover options: A done by Tyler Walpole, or B done by Steve Ellis. 

Just like my previous comic-book review, I bought all of these issues from https://www.mycomicshop.com/ There is also a trade paperback omnibus, as well as a hardcover version.

B covers

Also like my previous comic review, this will contain spoilers so I will not be extremely limited on my thoughts, and I will also not be leaving a rating since I am mostly unfamiliar with comics.

Issue #1 starts with two roguish fellows, Torn Telmantle and Randral Daunter, in the Dock Ward of the City of Splendors. They are racing to meet with Skorlus, who they discover has been brutally murdered. They learn of a scheme to kidnap Talandra Roaringhorn, so when we switch to the Lord and lady Roaringhorn we discover that she has gone missing, presumably at the hand of the next people were are introduced to; Blaeyz Glasgerd and Imbrar Salkyn.

House Roaringhorn is a noble family with branches in both Waterdeep and Cormyr, some of the Cormyrean branch appear in the Cormyr Saga. These are likely distantly related, as these comics were released during the Fourth Edition era, and though it is not stated, the story is likely set in 1479 DR like most other 4e things (though nothing tips us off on a specific year beyond this).

A prank by the lady Talandra takes a dire turn, and the rogues Torn and Randral are implored to help when they are cursed by a dying cleric of Tempus, the war god. They then, somewhat aimlessly, attempt to find Talandra as they are pursued by the watch.

At the end of this issue, I was interested in how it would turn out. I was not a huge fan of the style, but Greenwood's stories are all over the place, and I felt this kind of worked here. The cover was a bit misleading, as Torn and Randral are the characters with the most attention at this point while Talandra is indisposed, but will likely get a larger role as a character once rescued.

Trade Paperback omnibus cover

Issue #2 starts off the chase once more, but our anti-heroes quickly unite with Talandra who joins in the escapade of running around the rooftops and streets of Waterdeep. The chance takes them into the sewers of the city, where eventually they find a secret escape, leading into unknown territory. 

Issue #3 the party is in some sort of ruin, as other groups attempt to rescue them, and others attempt to murder. There are a plethora of words (mostly curses) from the Common tongue used, which most authors in the Realms do not utilize, but Greenwood of course does since he invented most of them. There are trolls, a displacer beast, a rage drake, and some tentacled foe in this issue, plus more!

Having read Greenwood's work, he likes to jump to a different set of characters often. Since we have pictures, almost all the prose here is dialogue. This does not flow very well as it jumps scene very often, and seems sporadic.

Right near the end we discover the portal has brought everyone halfway across Faerûn to Battledale. With some of the twist, this issue increased my interest in the story.

Onto Issue #4 we have drow! Not too surprising, since there is one on the cover. This puts our trio in dire straits until a dwarf named Markell comes to the rescue (he can be seen on the A cover for this issue). They are then corralled by a direhelm to confront the King of Ghosts who wants to make a deal with them. We end with a confrontation with a yuan-ti mercenary.

Issue #5 continues and concludes the chase as our anti-heroes and the Lady Talandra arrive in the Border Kingdoms, which was not what I was expecting. 

Overall, I feel this would work better for me as a short story, or even expanded as a novella or full novel. I was not much of a fan of the art style, and the jumping around was too much. I also don't really like comics much, but I am glad I read this as I now know about the Ghost Holds, as well as have three NPCs to utilize if I ever run a session in the Border Kingdoms. These may be the comic books for you, and I will surely be reading more adventures, in comic format, in the Realms.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Ladies Night at the Yawning Portal by Ed Greenwood

This is the Spin a Yarn 2002. Like the first one, Never a Warpig Born, this was written by Ed greenwood after suggestions were thrown around to include in a story at a panel at Gen Con. You can read the archived story here. 

We are introduced to a night of revelry at the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep, where only woman are allowed, and they all come dressed in costume as to disguise their identities. This is likely sometime before 1314 DR, as Piergeiron is not described as Open Lord, but is definitely before 1374 DR as the Blackstaff is still alive. Throughout the story our character's are generally described along the lines as women dressed as Halaster Blackcloak, Piergeiron, or an animated skeleton; keeping their identities secret

There are magical rings, a flesh golem, a Red Wizard, illithids, some members of the Knights of Myth Drannor, and fun times to be had. While the story surely is silly, that's the point, it is not quite as absurd as the first Spin a Yarn, and neither was it as enjoyable or cohesive. It was a little too confusing, and while unsurprisingly entertaining it suffered from so much happening. Ladies Night at the Yawning Portal is Acceptable, and a fond foray of a Realms tale, just one slightly bogged down by so much ridiculous things happening in a such a short span.

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Review: Dreaming of Waterdeep by Rosemary Jones

 Dreaming of Waterdeep is a short story from Dragon Magazine issue 393 published digitally in November of 2010 and acts as a prequel for the character Gustin Bone of Jone's 2009 novel, City of the Dead, book 4 of the Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series (my thoughts on the whole series can be found here). The tale can be found on pages 49-56. The story can also be found in Untold Adventures, an anthology with short stories from multiple settings from 2011.

the cover of issue 393

We are introduced to ten year old Gustin Bone who is an orphan and living with his Uncle in a small village. When trio of adventurers stop in the village looking for respite, Gustin asks a litany of questions but his hopes of adventuring and seeing Waterdeep are quashed by his uncle. 

story art by Warren Mahy

Gustin has a little bit of illusory magic, not very effective in combat. This small adventure involves searching ruins for treasure and a magical monster that has made the ruins its lair.

Likely this story takes place in Cormyr, as that is where Gustin grew up, but the village and area remain unnamed. It is an exciting story, and I plan to get Untold Adventures soon so I can have a physical copy. There is something oddly realistic (in a magical world) that 4e era books have that many earlier works are lacking, and Jones writes phenomenally, displaying such life. This story is Exceptional, and I recommend you read it; it can be found here.

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Review: Waterdeep Dragon Heist Tie-In Fiction

There are two tie-in short stories for the adventure Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. These can both be found for free in Dragon+, and off course take place in the titular Waterdeep, the City of Splendors. 

Secrets of the Deep by Mark Price and David Roomes from issue Dragon+ issue 20 published in June 2018. Braya is a thief of the streets of Waterdeep. Her mentor, Tyben, is dead. Tyben knew about a treasure beneath the city though, and some toughs want to beat it out of Braya and his corpse. The story is extremely short, and comes to a swift close one it picks up.

We learn that Braya was taught a good philosophy from Tyben. He was oddly a worshipper of Umberlee, Queen of the Depths. Braya is quick on her feet like any rogue, and uses a knife to stunning effect.

I have not experienced Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, so maybe there are connections I’m missing. The tale is Acceptable, it's too short but wrapped together nicely. Coupled with the next story, it works as a good introduction.

Raven’s Reckoning is by the same two authors and also follows Braya as she searches for the Vault of Dragons. It can be found in Dragon+ issue 23 from December 2018. 

The 7th of Flamerule, Lliira's Night. The story starts as Braya negotiates a deal involving wine with the elf Sneer of House Amaris and the dwarf Scar of Clan Roardun. She is posing as a member of the Vintners, Distillers, Brewers Guild. 

She has a new partner, since Tyben’s death, Grudal has made the duo complete. He doesn't get really any screen time, and is almost pointless.

The scandal is going fine until two critical parts explode, and another party Braya recently got on the bad side of shows up. This become dicey fast, and it becomes a race as to who can get the prize of a certain key. A brawl breaks out and the Nine Hells break loose. 

An aside, Funnily where there probably is suppose to be a break it looks like the coding is off. Ignore the stuff in brackets! 

Anyways, Raven's Reckoning is a fun followup to Secrets of the Deep. It is not a conclusion, for that's for the players of the adventure to experience. The story is Good.

"Dry or sweet?"

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Completed Series: Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep

Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep is a series of six standalone novels, each written by a different author, and all taking place in Waterdeep. Each book is introduced by the creator of Forgotten Realms himself, Ed Greenwood. Overall it is a exciting ride, where the reader can learn of many intriguing inhabitants of the City of Splendors. From gravekeepers, to thieves, to mages, to rogues, paladins, wizards, sorcerers, monsters, spellscarred, nobility, commoner, etc, etc, the ride is basically nonstop.

Unlike the previously posted Completed Series entries, which were series finished some time ago, I just finished Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep yesterday, on Friday the 13th of March, 2020. Though I did start it in April 2018. I'll explain.

It is possible to get Circle of Skulls with a matching cover to the first five.

Blackstaff Tower by Steven E. Schend (2008) - Good

Mistshore by Jaleigh Johnson (2008) - Good

Downshadow by Erik Scott de Bie (2009) - Acceptable

City of the Dead by Rosemary Jones (2009) - Exceptional

The God Catcher by Erin M. Evans (2010) - Exceptional

Circle of Skulls by James P. Davis (2010) - Acceptable

Let's Start at the top.

Blackstaff Tower by Steven E. Schend kinda, sorta acts as a sequel to another novel Schend wrote in the Forgotten Realms: Blackstaff. I have yet to read it though, but Mr. Greenwood touches on it in his introduction. The story of Blackstaff is laid out simply early on; the sixth Blackstaff, Samark Dhanzscul, is murdered by power hungry wizards of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. They take his Tethyrian heir, Vajra Safahr, to torture the secrets of the Blackstaff out of her. Our main heroes are: Renaer Neverember, the estranged son of Open Lord Dagult Neverember; Laraelra Harsard, daughter of the guildmaster of the Cellarers' and Plumbers' Guild, and fledgling sorceress; Meloon Wardragon, a sellsword and descendant of an early Waterdeep Warlord, Laroun; and lastly Osco Salibuck, who is introduced later than the rest, is the charming halfling rogue of the party.

The story progresses quickly with barely any rest. I won't spoil it, but overall the story was very fun to read, and felt a little more old fashioned than the other books in the series. There were some really great moments near the end that were written rather well. You learn quite a bit about the history of the Blackstaves (here I was thinking Khelben was still around), as well as the beginnings of Waterdeep, the Spellplague's effect on the city, and a small specific amount on the figure of Dagult Neverember and his relationships. My main gripe is that there are a bit to many minor characters, which can be confusing.

Moving on, Mistshore takes place in it's namesake, a forsaken beach of floating debris where outcast eek out a semblance of life. Icelin Tearn finds herself in trouble and quickly connects it with her troubled past. Icelin is afflicted with a perfect memory, though most see it as a great blessing she views it as a curse. Her past is slowly unraveled, and for such a short book it is done rather expertly. One of her main companions is Sull, her butcher, who was my favorite character. He is so loyal and is just heartwarming to read his persistence to stay by her side. Her other companion, Ruen, grew on me as the story progressed but his part is essential to the intricacies of the story.

The story can be rather slow at times, but reads very swiftly most of the time. What really makes the book is the characters. There are so many I could mention but the best is the villain, he isn't evil, but is so misguided and lacking understanding, you have to read it to understand.

Downshadow is the third book in the series, and is yet again named for a part of the city. Downshadow is the upper layer of Undermountain beneath the city of Waterdeep; a good chunk of the story takes place above ground though. Easily my least favorite of the series, but not bad. It can be really messy at times, and I was left me wondering what the whole point of the book even was a large portion of it. Who was the bad guy? It doesn't become obvious until the end. 

The main character, Shadowbane, is a Paladin to Helm, Tyr, and Torm in their all in one, post-spellplague, package. He is spellscarred, and can not feel much of anything; pain, touch, pleasure, etc. He acts as a vigilante in Downshadow and really reminded me of Batman early on. The story involves a lot of women being interested in our protagonist, with lots of blushing and flirting. It was just kind of weird. It is kind of made up for at the end, which was great. This is also the first in the Shadowbane series, which as of now (and forever if WotC continues to let anyone but Salvatore write Forgotten Realms novels) has two more books.

On the plus side there is some interesting magic at play and de Bie has loads of potential.

City of the Dead is interesting because I have to pull from memory back in 2018. I remember loving the eerie (perfect word for this novel) setting of the dead leaving the City of the Dead (Waterdeep's cemetery) and haunting the nobility of Sea Ward. I may have to go back and reread this one, but I can say Sophraea Carver is braver than I.

This is the second of Jones' Realms works that I have read, the first being Cold Steel and Secrets. 

Again, I read The God Catcher in April of 2018 and the thing I remember the most is how much I love Erin M. Evans prose. It's so readable and fun. This was her first novel in the Realms and I specifically read it after enjoying Brimstone Angels so much. Tennora Hedare, a young member of the nobility (her mother was a Uskevren) is an aspiring wizard who takes an interesting turn into multiclassing. Her main companion is a mysterious woman, Nestrix who thinks she is really a dragon. A very fun read with lovable characters and a highly intriguing story (with dragons) where Evans make convinces me she grew up in Faerûn instead of our world.

Circle of Skulls, the final book, revolves around a deva and his quest to kill an angel working for Asmodeus, and a sect (of Ashmadai?) called the Vigilant Order. Interestingly a deva is considered a type of aasimar, but instead of being part celestial and mortal, a deva is the soul of an angel put into a mortal body that is reborn every time they die. Our hero, Jinnaoth has been around four about 4,000 years and originally served the dead gods of Mulhorand. He remembers bits and pieces of his past lives, but generally nothing at all besides how to fight. This crops up memories from time to time, and even brings in people who remember him while he does not remember them.

His team is a moon elf warlock and a night hag (along with other, interesting, characters). There is lots of action, as is usual. Though a few times Davis seems to have forgotten to connect/bridge actions (like saying that someone was sitting and talking and then they opened a window without stating that they ever stood up).  Another thing, why is an angel working for Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells? Surely it's a fallen angel and that would make it a devil. This is never answered. Another gripe, a murder takes place early on and Jinn becomes the suspect. It would have been extremely obvious to any witnesses that he was not the murderer, so the watch painting him as such immediately after the death is a little farfetched.

Another cool enemy are the ahimazzi, who are mindless serfs to Asmodeus that failed him and lost their souls at some point. I don't believe these are anywhere else in books, supplements, etc. and I thought they gave a sincerely disturbing aspect to the story. I also appreacite the lack of human characters for the good guys. I often feel for a fantasy setting with several racial options that humans are overdone.

In conclusion, it’s hard to give a set of stand alone novels a rating, but I still think Ed Greenwood presents Waterdeep is Good, and I would love to see something similarly done in Neverwinter, Baldur’s Gate, Suzail, etc. Thankfully for those who love Waterdeep you have six books that take place in the splendid city (each 1479 and 1480 DR), and for those who aren't interested in reading all of them, you can easily pick and choose. No real order is necessary either. For example, there is one point in Mistshore that makes it obvious that it takes place before Blackstaff Tower. I myself read them in order of 4, 5, 3, 1, 2, and then 6 and that was perfectly fine.
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You can track my current progress here.

Completed Series: Brimstone Angels by Erin M. Evans

This is the first in a series of post that cover the Forgotten Realms series that I have read all of the novels in.

I will give the books and whole series a grade but it is not empirical, but is based off feelings at the time I read the books and how I feel now. The ratings do not have specific qualities that mark them, they are just descriptive words. Here they are for your reference from worse to best.

Ugly

Bad

Poor

Mediocre 

Acceptable

Good

Exceptional

Amazing

Brimstone Angels by Erin M. Evans is the first series of Dungeons & Dragons novels I ever read. This was from the end of August to the middle of September 2017 when I read all six in that two week period. At the time I had never played D&D, though I had played other TTRPG's, Brimstone Angels was a strong factor for my later start of playing of the game.

The books are such:

Brimstone Angels (2011) - Acceptable

Brimstone Angels: Lesser Evils (2012) - Good

The Adversary (2013) - Good

Fire In the Blood (2014) - Good

Ashes of the Tyrant (2015) - Good

The Devil You Know (2016) - Good

My first impression was that it was fun but a little slow. It slogged a bit because of strong usage of lore.  This changed drastically during Lesser Evils as the story got more exciting when the Harpers went to search for the library of the netherese Tarchamus the Untielding. From there  I flew through most of the books. There is a decent focus on relationships, which range from okay to a little annoying, but that takes a backseat from the great action and the unfolding storyline involving devils, gods, warlocks, and politics.

Farideh and Havilar are easy to relate too, and a fun set of twins. This is probably is heightened because I myself am a twin and am relatively their age. There story takes them from Neverwinter to Waterdeep, to Suzail, to Djerad Thymer and to lost libraries and secreted Netherese fortresses. The cast of characters, from the Zhentarim, Harpers, nobility of Cormyr, devils of Malbolge to the devoted of deities is very rounded and likable, even when they aren’t necessarily of good alignment.

Farideh is the main character and at the start of the story she makes a pact with a cambion which results in exile for her glaive wielding twin sister, Havilar, and her adoptive dragonborn father, Mehen. Ilstan, Dahl, Tam, and Lorcan are among the most memorable support characters.

Book 3 is also book 3 for The Sundering, and I feel it fits in pretty well. It did not seem forced to me, while some things in books five and six maybe could have been condensed.

Lore wise, I gained quite a bit of knowledge about Cormyrean politics, the denizens and hierarchy of the Nine Hells, a plethora of draconic curses, tiefling types, and a nice guide to deities statuses during the Second Sundering.

A note for those who wish to own books physically (like myself), the first and second books are generally quite expensive though 3-6 can be found easily at reasonable prices.

Overall the consistent quality of the books makes me say that Brimstone Angels is: Exceptional.
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You can track my current progress here.